Schedule to hold one-sided election: BNP

The Election Commission (EC) announced the election schedule to hold another ‘unilateral’ election as per the government’s will, said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

In an instant reaction at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office on Thursday night, Fakhrul also said people will not accept any election which is against their hopes and aspirations, UNB reports.

"The election schedule was announced to hold a lopsided election which has reflected the government's will," he told a press conference after a meeting of the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

The BNP leader also said the EC declared the polls schedule without reflecting people's desire. "Our statement is clear over the election schedule that the country's people won't accept the election which is contrary to people's aspirations."

He said a delegation of the Jatiya Oikyafront recently met the EC and requested them to defer the election schedule announcement. "But they didn't do it."

Fakhrul said they will come with formal reaction to the schedule announcement after meetings with Oikyafront, the 20-party alliance leaders and their party's standing committee members.

Earlier in the evening, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda in a televised address to the nation announced the schedule for the next general election.

As per the schedule, the 11th parliamentary elections will be held on December 23 (Sunday) while the last date for submitting nomination papers is November 19, the date for scrutinising nomination papers is November 22 and the last date for the withdrawal of nomination papers is November 29.